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Bucs Are Counting On Adams To Come Around

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By ROY CUMMINGS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 1, 2007

Updated: 11/01/2007 12:14 am

TAMPA - Visibly upset by his coach's decision to replace him for a crucial fourth-quarter play, Bucs rookie defensive end Gaines Adams took off his helmet and flung it to the ground as he trotted off the field last Sunday.

A few words of advice for Adams: hold on to your helmet; you're going to need it more than usual these next few weeks.

With fellow defensive end Greg Spires nursing a calf/Achilles' strain that will keep him out of the lineup for at least a couple of weeks, Adams' workload figures to increase dramatically this month.

Also expected to increase is the workload of fellow rookie and former Arena League standout Greg White, who is expected to split the snaps with Adams. But it is Adams whose play will garner the most scrutiny.

He was, after all, the Bucs' first-round draft choice in April, a fourth overall selection whose still-drying signature on a contract sparked the controversial release of Simeon Rice on the eve of training camp.

Back then, some in the Bucs organization thought Adams would be starting by the fifth week of the season. This is Week 9, and Adams has yet to start or even excel in a game.

Billed as a pass-rushing specialist, Adams has only 1.5 sacks, the one coming when he happened to be the player to touch down Titans quarterback Vince Young after Young ran into a teammate and fell down.

And of his 21 tackles, which ranks 12th among Bucs defenders, only one has dropped a running back for a loss. Like the Bucs, Adams is a little dismayed by the fact those numbers are so low.

'I knew it was going to be tough,' Adams said of adjusting to the NFL, 'but it's a whole lot tougher than I thought it would be. Everybody is smarter than I expected.

'Defensive linemen are a whole lot smarter; offensive linemen are a whole lot smarter. Some of the tackles I've been going against, they're some of the best tackles in the league. But that's no excuse. I have to get it done.'

Now more than ever. The Bucs remain alive in the NFC playoff race, but another loss or two could knock them out. So it falls to Adams and White to make a difference. Mostly, though, it falls to Adams.

He's the one with the big contract and even bigger expectations. You have to wonder, though, if maybe the expectations aren't too big. Recent history suggests they are.

In the last 15 years, 17 defensive ends have been among the top 10 players selected in their respective drafts. The average number of sacks those ends have produced as rookies is six.

'I've seen it,' Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said of the struggles young lineman have adjusting to the NFL. 'I was with the Buffalo Bills when Bruce Smith came into the league. He didn't get it right away.

'And I was with the Vikings a year after Chris Doleman came into the league. Doleman didn't really develop at first either. It's been that way with Gaines, too.'

Adams's struggles have been two-fold. He has found getting to the passer - his forte in college - a struggle because he lacks the polished technique necessary to beat even the most ordinary NFL tackles.

He has also found it difficult to make plays as a run defender, because he lacks both proper technique and sound fundamental makeup. It's the latter area, though, where Adams needs to improve the most with Spires out.

Spires was in the lineup primarily because he was the best run stopper among the four players working the right side of Tampa Bay's defensive line. With Spires out, Adams' reps against the run will increase.

'He's at a point now where he has to play the run,' Kiffin said of Adams, a 6-foot-5, 258-pound product of Clemson University. 'But I think he'll be OK. I really do. I can see it coming with him.'

So does Larry Coyer, the Bucs' defensive line coach. He said Adams' pass-rushing technique has improved markedly the last few weeks. Kiffin, meanwhile, says Adams' run-stopping fundamentals are much better as well.

He said Adams is bending his knees more and playing lower to the ground, which gives him more leverage. Earlier in the year, Adams was standing up too much, Kiffin said.

'To me, that's the No. 1 difference,' Coyer added when asked about Adams' improved play against run. 'Last week against Jacksonville, he played good, solid run defense.'

He did when he got the chance. Against Jacksonville, Adams participated in just 11 defensive plays. According to Coyer, however, they were the best 11 plays Adams has turned in all year.

'I know it doesn't sound like much, but they were 11 really fine plays,' Coyer said. 'He and White gave us a sack, and it was a real-deal sack, a big-time play. Adams was much more positive.'

He was, at least, until he got pulled for that crucial fourth-quarter play. Coyer, though, liked the reaction. It showed him that Adams cares, and that's part of what he and Kiffin want to see from their young prodigy.

'You have to keep the fire, the edge, because this is when it counts,' Coyer said. 'I mean, we're counting on this kid now, so it's time for him to go. And I've got to be honest with you. I'm excited to see what he does. I mean, this is what we've been waiting for.'

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or at rcummings@tampatrib.com.

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